


The Difference Between Us

by bearzerken



Category: Persona 4, Touhou Project
Genre: (Kinda?) POV Alternating, Crossover, Gen, Original Character-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:01:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23882683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearzerken/pseuds/bearzerken
Summary: (Cross-posted from FFNet)The latest incident in Gensokyo is somehow messing with reality, causing three worlds to begin to collide in a way no one expected. Yukari, however, thinks it's prime time to rope in two specific humans from the Outside World. What could /possibly/ go wrong?
Kudos: 1





	1. Premonition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Premonition was revised on 2020/04/27, originally posted on FFnet on 2018/04/01

White lilies stretched across the plains indefinitely, beneath the sea of flowers, the tufts of grass to most would practically be considered non-existent. A slow rain of cherry blossom petals danced as it descended, melting away as it became naked to the eye amongst the terrain, and in the midst of it all; laid a heavily wounded young woman, gritting her teeth hard as she clutched the massive wound on her stomach where blood continued to seep, and not so far in front of her stood the infamous yōkai who started it all, that _damn_ cursed yōkai.

She knew behind that fan obscuring that yōkai’s face stretched a massive devilish grin; this had entertaining for the yōkai, and that fact sickened her in the stomach, and somehow that feeling overpowered the pain—a thought of adrenaline brushes past her, but she shakes it away immediately.

“It’s a shame things have to end here, really,” The yōkai spoke with that fake kind, sweet, and motherly tone she has been all too familiar with at this point, “You have been my favourite _Gappy_ , after all.”

That _term_ sent shivers down her spine regardless of the countless times from different mouths she heard prior. “I’m… not your damn... _play toy_!” She managed to say beneath a series of breaths, but it wouldn’t matter, the yōkai would pick up on it regardless—heightened senses or something, and that she still has to remember clearly; this _thing_ in front of her was barely human, despite everything about its appearance telling everyone none the wiser otherwise. “None of us Outsiders were meant to be in the first place, Yukari.”

“Aw, don’t be such a party pooper~.” Yukari sang while clapping the fan closed, “You understand though; the residents here need this to thrive. This World as a whole needs it to continue existing.”

“Yeah...” feet wobbled against the grounds as she struggles to stand tall, “But you and I both know that you don’t need people from the Outside World _just_ to create incidents nor for... ‘ _meat supply’_.”

“If only you weren’t so aware, like the other Gappys,” a massive black void started to tear into the fabric of reality next to the yōkai, eyes contained within stared into her soul. The portal is the very thing the yōkai was notorious for. “But it's also what I love most from my dear favourite.”

Faint sounds of train horns grew louder, a beat or two later, a light beamed in front of her, the earth beneath her begins to tremble, to which she loses her footing yet again. From that void, a Metro train emerged and approached her at an alarming speed, horns were constantly blaring, and for some reason, Eurobeat music companies it. It didn’t help that the front carriage was coming at her at an odd angle; as if the front wheels were connected to the rail next over. Was it… _drifting_?

 _♩_ _~ Speed, speed lover, games not over ~_ _♩_

She didn’t dare to question nor think about it; if it was under different circumstances, maybe then she would’ve.

“ _Sayonara_ , my Gappy.”

 _♩_ _~ Hot glitters on the track ~_ _♩_

She hated that time felt ridiculously slower at every second death was creeping up. If she had to be completely honest; she’d rather it be quick and painless. This just reminds her of the countless dreams in which running away never existed, because it’s always too slow and she gets caught in the end regardless of how hard she tried to hide. She hated those dreams with a passion.

 _♩_ _~ Speed, speed lover, countdowns over ~_ _♩_

But...maybe this was just a dumb dream, and she’d wake up with a jolt upon impact.

She would’ve loved that.

 _♩_ _~ Running to win or die~_ _♩_

To be back home.

To be in her room.

…

She closes her eyes and waited.

_*record scratch*_

_*freeze frame*_

Yup…that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want context behind this story's creation, continue reading these notes. Otherwise, you are free to skip this and continue on.
> 
> This story first started as a joint effort between another person and me, circa 2014-2015, it didn't have a title back then due to the fact it was just for fun between the two of us. It remains incomplete, riddled with plot holes and shenanigans all over the place. At some point, I watched the YouTube Walfas series; "Diamond in the Rough" and was inspired to take our story and completely revamp it into a somewhat full-fledged story ever since. With permission of course.
> 
> To emulate us having our own side of the story with our self-insert as the main character, this story will go back and forth to be centric around one of the two OC/SIs, and also the writing style will slightly change depending who its on (at least to the best of my ability, since attempting to downplay my writing on purpose ended up being a big struggle so far)
> 
> When posting TDBU to FFnet, I wanted this story to be considered a mix of dark fic and satire. However, after writing the latest chapter (4), I didn't feel right calling it that, you might still see some elements of seriousness and comedic tones going back and forth throughout the story. Still, for now, I don't want to consider the story to be dark fic + satire officially.


	2. White Noise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> White Noise was revised on 2020/04/27, originally posted on FFnet around 2019/07/25

[???]

* * *

Without warning, a series of a blaring musical jingle caused her to jolt awake with a cold sweat. She immediately shields her eyes from an intense, bright shining light while gasping for air, and almost, just almost does a swear slip from her lips, but instead, she inhales a hiss. In the background of ‘recovering’, a throbbing migraine hammered away at her head, having to grasp at her forehead as bearings returned ever so slowly.

Everything normalizes for the most part when she finally rises up, pain coursing through her body. Various objects on a desk unblur into existence. She looks at the over-lit monitor first, then the TV not so far to the right of it, a line of dots fading on and off from a device; Google Home Mini, the alarm source. She still has a tough time processing everything, but at least bearings are finally realized. 

For some reason or another, she isn’t on her bed.

Even so, she doesn’t bother to search within her memories; she never remembers. Fell asleep at the computer desk, probably had an alarm for some Nintendo Direct, maybe E3, or perhaps EVO is  _ finally _ here, and she can finally get to watch UNIST at  _ the  _ biggest tournament scene! ...Those were the excuses she came up with, and to be frank, it probably wasn’t too far off the truth.

She just usually never puts the effort to watch things live, because she can just watch it later when it’s all re-uploaded to YouTube for her convenience.

“Ok, Google, stop,” she watches a trail of dots this time from Google Home Mini eventually fade out, the alarm still ringing constantly. “Ok, Google. Stop,” her voice coarser this time, again, it continues, and she stomped one foot, almost tumbling over herself when the floor seemed to twist and dip like jelly. “Oh my God, you’ve got to be-... Ok,  _ Google _ . Stop.” Even that doesn’t work, and she’s throwing her arms in the air frustrated.

It takes her an embarrassingly long time before Google Home Mini finally complies with her voice. She really should throw this thing out, especially more so after her impression with Google had been deteriorating. If she could earn a few bucks from selling it to a pawn shop, that’d be even better. She takes a couple of arm and leg stretches, pain flaring as she does; it surprisingly intensifies ten-fold in the brief moments she sits back down for some reason or another.

_ I feel like I got rammed by a train. _

She isn’t really sure why she compares it to a train when usually the saying is with a truck. Attempting to wool-gather at any dreams or nightmares she had was fruitless; it's all a haze as every passing day was. Even if it was clear, she’d have to follow ‘routine’ by taking the time to jot down every detail she could recall from her dreams and log the sleeping hours. 

Hopes to improve short-term memory loss as advised by her psychologist.

Except, with the killer migraine she’s having, and issues with something as  _ basic _ as thinking made it too much of a damn hassle to even bother. Almost as if by coincidence or God’s command, a bottle barely containing a clear liquid—definitely not water, she knows that for a fact—focused into existence as did her computer equipment, despite it being there, in her sight nonetheless. She understands now, with a perfunctory nod and pursed-lips.

Makes more sense now; being intoxicated that is. She never had the pleasure or permission to drink to drunkenness, being naturally tolerant due to inheriting genes from Dad or however it works. And well, everyone wants to prevent her from doing so. Regardless, being drunk or hungover or whatever was something…a totally new experience for her.

If she got used to the feeling, she honestly wouldn’t mind being drunk again.

She pours herself another shot, emptying whatever’s left of the bottle; it’s not enough to fill the small glass to the top. She gulps it down as fast as she slams the glass back on the desk, and clicks her tongue in frustration.

Nothing.

There was nothing to taste.

Not anymore.

It doesn’t matter how many or how strong the drink was; it’ll never,  _ ever _ , satisfy the fact that sake no longer contains that taste she once savoured very favourably. She had to go out of her way into the depths of the city and spend a bit more  _ just _ for the specific brands. The only saving grace was that it still burns her body, eventually turning her brain to mush as it tumbles her vision and balance, and everything and anything after it if she manages to get totally wasted. 

As long as it does continue to do so, then that alone gave her enough purpose to continue purchasing sake.

What a fool she was.

Even when there’s nothing left, she still tries to take another sip, again tries to pour even a slither of sake. She’s done so countless times throughout the day, even when it was fuller; that detail she randomly recalls out of nowhere.

At this point of time, she really doesn’t want to admit it's empty, not yet at least. For some reason, she really believes that shaking the thing will make it full magically again. No… It’s more like she just wants an excuse to drink more.

_ He would be disgusted if I went ahead to empty another bottle. _

But, who was to say he needed to find out about her slight drinking habit? She scoffs at that idea, ‘slight’ was really pushing the line, at this stage, she’s long-established being an alcoholic. And no make-believe she makes up will save face.

Still leagues better than her previous destructive habits at least.

At least…that’s what she loves to delude herself with.

A hefty sigh is puffed into the air while she takes a set of headphones and dons it. Some guy talking and playing a game is what immediately fills her ears; it’s from the live stream that’s still being displayed on that TV. She always mindlessly listened to every visit she paid the streamer, only mildly surprised that they were still going, still on that Touhou marathon since…sometime yesterday was it?

Some time is spent soullessly staring into the voids of the ceiling, slouching more into the chair, when she’s back from her musings, she shoots a glance to the time in the monitor; 23:37, it read, still surprised like any previous time, that the computer is set to military time. She doesn’t want to put effort into changing it back; it was way more aesthetically pleasing anyway. With a few swift motions with the mouse, she opens up a window of Granblue Fantasy, returning to the grind of senselessly repeating the same raid over, and over again, as she has since the event went up.

The event, Unite and Fight—everyone calls it Guild War, however—was going to be on halt by 1 AM, as it does per schedule, and she figured, now that hitting the hay was off the list, grinding for more tokens would be the best way to kill time for now.

There was nothing else to do anyway.

Nothing left to really look forward to.

...Anything that wasn’t relating to games somehow at least.

That thought caused her eyes to shift over to a large stack of papers sitting on the same cabinet that the TV stands on, the mere sight and thought of them immediately vexed her; they were mocking her. She finally takes the effort to place them in a plastic bag hanging off crudely between some drawers of a dress at the left of the room, not that far that the headphone wires would stop her. The ‘trash’ was the proper place for them to be. ...Or at least what her poor man’s variant of it was.

She undeniably doesn’t want to be reminded.

They were gathering too much dust anyway.

When she’s done, she returns back to playing again, at some point she pops up another window situating it side-by-side of Granblue Fantasy’s window, so she can go back-and-forth between both windows; playing in one, and browsing the web in the other. She only really needed to queue up the skills and load up the raid again; the rest can be automated in some sense. Meanwhile, the live stream acted as background noise to filter out the void, sometimes she decided to participate in chatting with the streamer and other viewers.

After listening for a while, she found that today in particular for some specific reason, was unfortunate for the streamer. Least that’s what she thinks it as. While it was an inside joke between them and their small community of close-knit viewers; including herself, she wished that they moved on from talking about the recurring incidents all day long.

The internet really had way too much fun with it ever since the beginning; an ongoing unsolved case of kidnappings,  _ disappearances _ to be more specific, across the globe, and honestly? People going missing had been commonplace for a  _ long, long  _ time; only in Japan exclusively, however. Some actually eventually returned, some don’t, and back then, there was no correlation between the victims; they’d just hypnotically wandered to the rural areas of Japan and ended up way deep into the mountains, that’s what it said officially on papers at least.

To this day, it remains a mysterious, unexplained phenomenon—‘survivors’ could never respond when asked—although rumours of travelling to some alternative world constantly circulated the net, as all things did.

Ever since it went worldwide, it only got even more stranger; people just  _ vanish  _ while inside their own homes, and every time the detectives came it was the same; everything remained the same as it did prior, seemingly untouched, no evidence of trespassers and no indication of the victims leaving on their own. Internet folks ate it that shit up and there have been forums created purely dedicated to doing their own detective work.

They were really stupidly passionate about it, so much so that they found a connection this time around. Nothing that relevant to affect investigations, but it was  _ something _ , and they held that up like a glorious gold trophy.

It did also mean continuously hearing about it everywhere, and boy, it’s…god-awfully obnoxious.

She immediately regrets the train of thought, as coincidentally the streamer begins to talk about the same topic, “... The latest victim, huh?” She’s already rolling her eyes, yet she begrudgingly listens in any way, if it meant being able to avoid the torture of the news plastered everywhere. “4chan predicted since the beginning man, that over time the connection gets watered up. The cops didn’t care about it since the beginning, but remember when we started with  _ literally _ hentai artists as victims? Yeah, me too. Could someone pull me his IGN again?”

The same name gets repeated multiple times over, and over again, albeit with different sentences attached to them, but to her, all that existed was the name, and even then she still can’t process it as fact, not until the streamer says; “Ah yeah, Likkyzero. I’ve seen that name before a few times actually, only in RP threads; it’s the only place you’ll find him for the most part. Think he…loves the  _ Bakartet _ in particular for some reason?

If she was the type to smoke, she would’ve lit one up to that, and well, can’t toast to it with an empty bottle, so she sighs as a substitute.

_ What are the damn odds? _

**“I know him personally,”** is she what she initially wrote in the chatbox until she deletes the message entirely.  **“Does his real name happen to be—”** she deletes that too and sighs again, more onerous than the previous. She doesn’t want to participate in the conversation, hell, she’s still unable to believe it’s true or if it was some kind of cruel joke that karma wanted to play.

Discord takes up the majority of the screen now, finding it ironic (applicable or not) that she would be reaching out to a certain someone, but she desperately wanted closure. A man who goes by the username ‘Toshixero’, who she knows, for a  _ fact _ , will know the answer.

Brothers really do love to have something in common. Least they did.

**“is it true that lees missing?”**

She didn’t have to wait too long for a response, time zones were a bit of a nuisance, but it’s not bad at this time.

**“Yeah, Lik Heng’s missing”** —naturally, the brother is using his actual name instead of her nickname for him— **“Mom said he went missing a couple of days ago, and well… the police said there was nothing to imply a kidnapping or that he went off on his own so…”**

She doesn’t bother to read the rest.

_ He really is gone then, huh? _

Deep down, she really felt conflicted on how to think of it.

That sure left a sour taste in her mouth.

The cursor hovers over a different username now; ‘Aster’. She entertained herself with the thought of breaking the news to him momentarily. She quickly throws that idea into an imaginary bin in a beat. She checks her phone, the object still laying on the desk. He was always present via phone call, coming to the conclusion that he’s asleep, either that or he’s playing Warframe or RimWorld, mindful to not disturb her. Then she remembers that he’d never dabble in a conversation regarding Lik Heng in any way possible. 

She didn’t exactly enjoy it either.

Minutes went by a blur when she returned grinding again, at some point she began hearing what sounded like chains rattling, progressively getting louder by the second, not much that she would notice, however. She confirms it wasn’t originating from the stream when she gave a glance, nor were there any signs of it from auto-playing ads in a tab; it wouldn’t and shouldn’t regardless, considering her browser settings. When the headphones come off, she certainly wasn’t expecting it to still be present, it’s undoubtedly louder now.

“Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the foundation.”

An unknown voice began echoing, and thanks to being intoxicated, she isn’t sure how she should be reacting to this, except to rise from the seat slowly. At this point, she wants to consider herself hallucinating. 

“Let red be the colour I pay tribute to. Let rise a wall against the wind that shall wall.”

As if on cue, chains and strings of that same sharp, vivid red shot from across the room in every angle imaginable. When she looks behind her chair, all her belongings and furniture are bound entirely already.

“Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the Crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.”

Everything begins to fog up, literally. Although she can’t tell if it's fog or mist, the difference is lost, either way, there was some non-existent smoke machine coating her room with either. She’ll just call it smoke. It’s easier that way.

“Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every fill.”

She’s swatting at the air desperately, it only got worse. A rush of wind whizzes beside her, either another set of chains or strings, maybe both, it’s lost in a sea of smoke regardless, so she felt inclined to try to feel it up, thinking if she breaks it something will happen. It felt… scaly and slimy. Definitely not a chain or string, at least a natural one. “What the heck is that…?”

“I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the ██████.” 

The smoke engulfed the room entirely by now, and the longer she was standing there, lost in her own room, the more her consciousness was fading away. The floor beneath her is wavering again, she felt like she needed to see-saw her balance to stay up-right, becoming a real struggle. She takes a step and immediately regrets it, the floor becomes liquid-like, and the next moment she’s collapsing to the floor. 

“Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth! An oath shall be sworn here. That I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world.”

She swears she spotted a red moon and the bat that flies on by.

“You seven heavens, clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint. Protector of the Holy Balance!”

She doesn’t get the chance to feel the ground once it was lights out.

…

The smoke clears out over time; the room finally revealed to be completely untouched, now free from the chains and strings a few moments ago.

The girl, however—much like the rest; much like Lik Heng—was gone.

…

…

…

On a bedside table across from the TV, the clock ticks to 12:00 AM.

As if by command, the TV and monitor simultaneously turn to white static, it clears up to a scenery eventually. It’s somewhere deep underwater; with a vast array of colours in the form of diverse and countless amounts of coral and sea life. In the far distance, the silhouette of a gigantic sunken ship was just a blob of grey, almost blurring amongst the backdrop of the sea. Bubbles, small and large flutter upwards to the surface, wherever that was. 

Petals of pink and white also float about mindlessly, many manage to land on the seabed, and with the coral, it’s hardly noticeable. Despite how crowded it was, one can still spot occasional tombstones that the depths seemed desperate to cover.

A ray of sunlight, however, was casting on a peculiar helmet. For the most part, it’s coloured black, the mouthpiece being white, and the accents that separate them and both halves of the circular amber visor, and from the top-centre, the red protrudes a bit upwards; two fin-esque shaped antennas. A glimmer of light shines off a rectangular-eclipse green in the stripe of white, between the visor and red.

A distorted voice of a girl pulsates in the sea,  **"Don't dive into the depths of the deceased, this is no place for land-dwellers. You still have a wonderful future to be had, after all."**

Words in large slowly form on the screen.

**OPEN YOUR EYES**

**FOR THE NE5̴g̴8̷5̴#̶4̵2̷o̵0̶*̵**

**4̵͇͆6̷̣͂$̶̞̈4̴̝̑n̷̜̄1̶̥̑4̶̰̌9̴͍̿█████**

In the mayhem of glitches, a symbol of some kind flashes very briefly.

The TV and monitor shut off in a blink.


	3. Fairytale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairytale was revised on 2020/04/27, originally posted on FFnet on 2018/08/27
> 
> Chapters from this point on are based on songs, which either helps emulate the mood the chapter is going for or to add further 'context' with the song lyrics, sometimes neither and it's just there to look fancy.
> 
> Fairytale - Alexander Rybak

[Lik Heng]

* * *

I'm Lik Heng Wong, but everyone calls me Likky.

I've been lost in this forest ever since  _ the _ Yukari Yakumo gapped me into the world of Gensokyo.

At first, I thought it was some sick prank by some cosplayer, but it really was the real thing!

It's still hard to believe she's entrusting me with a task on such a grand scale...

Can I really help save Gensokyo and other fictional worlds from merging with my own? I'm just a normal person...

I can't let her down, she's gambled it all on me!

But I don't want to end up as meat for Rumia or something before my adventure has even started...

* * *

" _ If our worlds fully merge, well... I can only imagine the total chaos and mayhem it will bring about. I sincerely ask you to aid me. You're the only one that I can ask to do so." _

" _ But what can someone like me to do help? I'm just a normal person." _

" _ That may be so here in the Outside World, but in Gensokyo, you know it'd be different, regardless of the yōkai's current meddling. You; Lik Heng 'Likky' Wong, have the potential. I can feel it. Please..." _

" _ Oi, what about time? They will miss me, you know!" _

It's been several hours—maybe even days—since Lik Heng had arrived at Gensokyo, all thanks to Yukari's powers. To make up for the lack of sounds as he wondered, the conversation he had with her seemed to always replay in his head since he'd forgotten to put music on his mobile phone. Yet somehow, it always changes every time he started over from the top.

None of them was how it went down in truth; he struggled with words, but Yukari somehow managed to remain patient with him. That he was grateful for.

Still, he had yet to cross paths with any of Gensokyo's people that he was so familiar with. Not even a single entity he'd call an enemy was about—no form of Shadows despite Yukari describing Gensokyo to be infested with them, least since Gensokyo became the TV World from Persona 4. At least that's what he vaguely remembers her saying.

It's come to the point where he begins to imagine being devoured by the likes of Rumia, a thought he originally despised. Even so, Yukari chose him. He can't fall here, and he probably can't within the time he'll be present here. However long that might end up being.

He's still slightly irritated. Everything looked the same no matter where he went; trees here, bushes there, and aside from the floral life, Gensokyo didn't seem to have any animals or insects roaming about. He really didn't want to believe this empty forest was Gensokyo.

It was meant to be filled to the brim with  _ life _ .

At least... That's how he always imagined Gensokyo to be.

Yet here he stands, feeling he never left Earth, to begin with.

Then again, Gensokyo supposedly is somewhere within Japan. That's his headcanon at least.

Lik Heng couldn't help but wonder what was taking his supposed rescuers so long, Yukari  _ did _ warn him, even if it were at the last minute, that due to the state of Gensokyo, her power couldn't function fully and  _ yadda-yadda _ ... Still, he had to wander around the forest always on guard, worried that something  _ will _ eventually happen if they took too long.

It wasn't fair, but he couldn't really exactly complain about it, it was still so ridiculous. Besides, what could be said to Yukari? If he couldn't manage to talk to her, how could he tell her he'd want to go back? That's even assuming he would ever meet up with her again.

Lost in his thoughts, he trips against something and tumbles about, the forces of gravity and physics taking the lead of his movements. Weirdly enough, he never fell onto the ground like he thought would happen.

When it stops, he sighs in relief, one hand pressing against his chest, feeling his heartbeat return to normal slowly. He expected some stick, trunk or vines to be the source when he turns back.

His first guess was half right.

"I certainly don't recall taking you with me," he takes the wooden sword in his hands and inspects every angle, brushing off every dirt and muck, as disgusted as he was to do so. It's the very thing he practises swings and took photos with various poses back home. One of his most prized possessions.  _ Hmm, I appreciate the gift Yukari, but I don't think it'll help much,  _ he thought before setting off once again.

It was far better than being unarmed, that's for sure. With no sheath or sling, however, Lik Heng had to make do with tucking it in the space between the belt and pants, holding it in his hands were too tiring. It sat stiff and the hilt jabs at his hips awkwardly when he walks, but it will have to do for now; he needs to continue moving.

At some point, he spotted something in the distance; a red arch of some sorts. Coming closer to it, a patch of grass disappears as a footpath of bricks took its place instead, He felt like he should recognize this arch when it's right in front of him now, but it still hasn't clicked yet.

There's a small run-down hut of sorts further down the road, as it grew larger into his sight he finally recognizes it; Hakurei Shrine. He should've known that the torii from earlier only meant one thing. Well, technically it could mean  _ two _ things, but the torii at Moriya Shrine made of stone or... was it wood? He doesn't remember, he just knows it's not red.

The shrine was somehow in a worse state than usual—least as the games presented. It's heavily damaged; holes and missing planks spread throughout, moss had overtaken most of the pillars, and there are cobwebs in every corner. He doesn't feel at ease being here, but hopefully, the shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei, was home.

"Um... Reimu-san...?" Lik Heng calls into Hakurei Shrine, his voice echoed a bit. He isn't quite sure if Japanese honorifics—he realized his mistake and goes into a whisper. "Er, maybe I should be referring to her as  _ Hakurei-san _ instead...?" He shook his head, the fancy honorifics and stuff can come later. He calls into the shrine again, "Is anyone home? Or... _ here _ more like?"

Nothing came in response.

It's hard to believe that Hakurei Shrine would feel like something in a horror flick.

He didn't exactly want to enter the shrine; he felt it would be rude to Reimu while she was away. Even Aunn wasn't present, or the other residents he recalls being at Hakurei Shrine, like the Three Fairies of Light, or Clownpiece. He assumed they too, were all away at the moment. Either way, he decided to explore the area surrounding Hakurei Shrine instead.

Lik Heng was mostly interested in the warehouse that's a bit off to the side, while he knew of its existence; it was indeed rare to see it in the games. He didn't have the courage to enter as he did with the shrine itself. It wasn't anything special, but seeing it in 'real-life' made it all the better.

There were also the statues in front of the shrine. His understanding about it was that at some point Reimu built them for the two Gods at Moriya Shrine; Kanako and Suwako. By one of the statues, there was a weird communication device with a green and white logo, most likely of Kappa origin, if he had to guess. Without thinking, he presses one of the buttons, and it plays a nice simple jingle that went  _ ding-dong _ .

What a weird spot for a doorbell.

Did Reimu really need such thing?

"I guess I should just wait here then..." he mutters to himself, tapping his foot against the floor, not paying attention to the sound of footsteps getting closer to him.

" **And thus, the journey of the Hero comes to a screeching halt. What a weak, pathetic early game."** Lik Heng's shock only intensified when his eyes meet a splitting image of himself, while it also had his voice, it spoke with some kind of filter attached. Demonic-like.

The doppelganger had his body and face down to the bone, the only difference being it had intense golden eyes, and an aura that only spelt malice, its attire was also completely different. Still, he recognizes it immediately, and it makes his stomach churn.

A long leather coat draping from the elbows accompanied simple silver armour—long worn from battle—over the top of a simple black shirt, denim jeans and dress shoes. Ice seemed to cover parts of its body; the right arm was frozen up to the forearm; makeshift gauntlets and some other armour parts, such as the pauldron were made of ice where some of it seeped onto the breastplate. In one hand, it held a long lance of ice, decorated with intricate engravings.

The Knight of the Frozen Lance— _ himself— _ from his stories was standing there.

He wanted to puke.

" **It'd be nice to start a New Game from the beginning... Don't you think,** **_me_ ** **?"**

" _ Brother…? What are you...?” _ Lik Heng rubs his eyes from beneath his glasses; the shock had to be messing with his vision somehow. "B-Bro…? No...that's m-me?" his mouth shakes as words hardly came out, silence now filling the voids as he stares at his Shadow Self.

_ It comes to the point where he decides to break the silence, deciding now is the time to put his idea into play. "So you are my Shadow? Are you worth being my Shadow? Are you able to be me?" Lik Heng continues relentlessly, his other-self unable to speak. _

" _ Do you know the true weakness of being a Shadow? Do you think I would fall for such a trick? All you have to do is admit...you're my Shadow; the true self. You are but merely a part of me I cannot accept...so...will you join me in my fights as my Shadow? I will need your power. But not as a Persona, plus a second me could be convenient, don't you agree? Me?" He hoped his words would reach his Shadow. _

_ Surprisingly, the Shadow responds with something Lik Heng didn't quite expect...it began to panic due to the words he had used,  _ **_"Y-You… Who are you?! Who do you think you are-_ **

" **It's easy to play pretend, isn't it,** **_Hero_ ** **?"** Lik Heng was brought back to reality, having a difficult time breathing all of a sudden, only now realising that his Shadow Self was quite literally holding him by the neck.  **"After all, in the realms of fantasy, this Knight of the Frozen Lance can reign supreme!"**

"Stop it…" Lik Heng managed to choke out, unable to stop himself from crying. A wave of air filled his lungs when he was finally released from his Shadow's grasps, lying on the ground, helpless.

His Shadow shrugs with an evil grin, chuckling.  **"There never will be a day when you'll wake up from the world of dreams, will there?"** The Shadow squatted downwards; eyes stared into Lik Heng's very soul.  **"Imagine; A Hero that can't achieve anything worth shit in the real world, so you ran away into Imaginary Land instead. Despite all this time, you are still but a Level 1 Goon. A child stuck in a man's body;** **_puer aeternus._ ** **"**

_ I don't know what that means... _

It stands again, kicking at the dirt, Lik Heng couldn't help but notice there's a distant melancholy in its eyes.  **"If I could be as powerful as I am in fiction...then I'd be the charismatic Hero everyone adores—one truly worth of Yukari's gamble."** It sighs and throws a punch at the air.  **"How foolish, as if saving the world would ever clean stained hands."**

Lik Heng couldn't help but frown and scowl, more in confusion rather than anger. "What are you talking about?" He still couldn't talk well above a whimper.

**"You** **_left_ ** **everyone. Betrayed them; ditched them into a chest and tucked them underneath your bed, never played with ever again. And that Witch? When she trusted you and loved you more than anyone ever could, you took out a dagger and backstabbed her. You've played the scene where you serve your crimes in various ways. It's like some sick twisted fetish. Much like your silly fantasies with various 2D anime chicks because you'll die a lonely virgin that somehow fucked his** **_only_ ** **chance to lose his V-Card. A death that’s somehow worse than being burnt at the stake at the hands of the Witch herself. How is that even possible?"**

Despite its mysterious ways of speaking, Lik Heng was at least smart enough to recognize what this was all about; what his Shadow Self well represented. Despite his pent up guilt, despite his deep desires to be punished for his misdeeds, despite his wishes to live in fantasy over reality, he doesn't want to admit nor accept this version of him.

For all he cared, this… _ thing _ doesn't and never existed. The fact it was dressed in the very thing he wore in the stories, didn't convince him otherwise.

"That's…a lie! I didn't leave anyone behind- I didn't betray her! You're nothing but an imposter!" He didn't know where this courage came from, or if he should even call it that and it was just another mere temper tantrum when things weren’t going his way. "You're not me! You're not the Knight of the Frozen Lance I created!"

The Shadow explodes into a fit of maniacal laughter. The aura surrounding it intensifies into a crisp, sharp crimson,  **"Hahaha! I feel it! I can feel everyone giving me their energy! And I'll use this power to defeat you; Faker!"**

The energy swells before a monstrosity burst from within the clouds; a lifeless figure fitted with a crown sits on a red velvet throne in the transparent cockpit in the brains of a human head made entirely of mannequin scraps. Shimmering ice crawled up from the neck and coated the cracks, keeping it all in mends.

**"I'm a Shadow; the true self. I'll clear this stage with no continues! Now…how should I defeat this boss?"**

Swords made of the same ilk of mannequin scraps materialized from thin air, surrounding Lik Heng at every angle. There's one that playfully jabs at his Adam's apple, which seemed to bulge way more than he wished it didn't.

"Sorry, Yukari…" He shut his eyes tight, thinking how he absolutely wasted Yukari's gamble. He surely deserved this death one way or another. Lik Heng wasn’t exactly prepared to die, but who was to save him now?

"Ma'at, please!" 

Following the voice of a female, something akin to small bell chimes tinkled. Lik Heng wasn't sure how to explain it, but he soon felt light radiating into his skin and around him. Soon he heard swords clattered against the floors, and he didn't feel the presence of something about to decapitate him.

His eyes fluttered open; curious. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing right there and then, he’d almost have forgotten how he was in another world.  _ Almost _ .

Reimu Hakurei, the shrine maiden in red and white was right there in front of him, saving his sorry ass. She's accompanied by what he thinks is no doubtfully her Persona. However she acquired such power.

**"Ah. Here comes a new challenger,"** Lik Heng's Shadow states with vicious venom coatings.  **"Better make your last life worth it; it'll be your last."**

"You must be the Gappy Yukari brought. We didn't mean to keep you waiting." Reimu bows slightly to Lik Heng, surprisingly void of any emotion and no mind to the beast in front of them. He raised brows when noticing heavy bags under her eyes, but he couldn't question the maiden when she immediately flew off into battle, her Persona followed like an after image, literally and figuratively.

She's firing endless barrages of the very same bullets she does in-game, although with her Persona's aid instead of those Yin-Yang orbs. Lik Heng couldn't help but gush internally at the sight. It really  _ was _ a dream come true.

He decided there and then that accepting Yukari's invitation to save the world was totally well worth it.

When a hand appears in his vision, he returns back to 'reality'. His eyes follow up the arm, the sight of Marisa Kirisame only tumbled his head in excitement. He was enjoying this way too much. "Ya all g, Gappy?" He smiles at her contagious grin and takes her hand. It was so soft and dainty, surprisingly strong too with how swiftly she pulls him to his feet with little effort.

"Stick by Alice, alright?" His nod to Marisa is more rapid-paced this time; she almost laughs with how ridiculous it looked. She turns and flicks her hand at him, her Persona materializes, and all Lik Heng saw next was puffs of dust and an outline of where the two used to be. "Help Reimu out, Eris!"

Trying to find Marisa and Reimu amidst the bullet-hell battle was like finding a needle in a haystack, but he figured they were winning. They had to after all.

"It has no weaknesses, just resistant to the usual." With a twirl of his head, he finds Alice Margatroid standing beside him, and the outlandish doll she hugs was nothing like her usual Shanghai and Hourai dolls.  _ Is...that what her Persona looks like? _

"Got it!" Reimu's figure could be seen weaving between arrays of hailing icy stalactites, despite the distance, Lik Heng saw a glimmer against a card that was in her hands, hard to miss since she's raising it high into the air. "Divine Spirit; 'Fantasy Seal'!"

Gigantic orbs that beamed with colour emerge from Ma'at, the Shadow erupts suddenly with a tremendous explosion upon a direct hit, and a cry so defeated followed. When the smoke dissipates, it already reverted back to its original form. Reimu floated scratching at her hair; her Persona disappears into the air. Alice's voice floats to her ears, "Shadow…uh…exterminated I suppose? Good job, Reimu." Even Alice was uncertain with how odd it was. The Shadows don't fall this easy.

Marisa's whine was heard miles away, and Lik Heng found her poking his other self's body with the ends of her broom, a frown on her lips and brows. "C'mon…get up. You need to lemme hit you too…"

"Come on, Marisa. No time for child's play." Reimu called, gliding downwards towards Alice and Lik Heng. Marisa, however, stomped like a giant.

The girls gathered in a line in front of Lik Heng, who was still star-struck. It was a bit weird, looking down on them; being a head taller and then some. Maybe if he was still in his teens, they'd match heights more.

They all looked at him expecting something, were they waiting for something? In his peripheral vision, he remembered the existence of his Shadow, wounds from its words still fresh and deep. It's disgusting to look at, only due to how vulnerable he felt. How would they view him after this?

"That thing isn't me…" Lik Heng murmured, it was meant to be a passing thought instead. The girls continued to stare, Reimu's eyes, in particular, isn't something he likes staring at. She looked so…what's the word...?

Forget it.

She looked as deadpan as Patchouli is on a daily basis is what he best could describe it as.

"That guy isn't me." Lik Heng repeats, nose still sniffling. Gods, he must look horrible with bloodshot eyes and a bead of snot dry like the trail of tears above his lips. "He—"

"Yeah... _ no _ ." Marisa interrupted, slams her hands onto his shoulders, and starts walking him with a slight push behind his back. Lik Heng didn't do much in protest and only looked around in horror as if Marisa could see it. "You ain't doin' yourself that. It's just 'nother aspect of you, ya gots-ta accept."

Hearing Marisa with something akin to Labrys' accent in the English dub was really weird. He really wouldn't have it any other way, and to be honest, it's somewhat endearing too, but he feared it'll get real old fast.

He nods absentmindedly, his other self stands up on its feet when he arrives,  _ It's true, I knew it was my Shadow Self, and initially, I even wanted to talk my way out of it. Yet, now for some reason, I find it hard to actually admit it, perhaps because I'm worried about how I might seem to them?  _ His mouth trembles as words instead creaked, "A-Another part of me…"

_ Cha-cha real smooth. _

"Rise-san?" Alice's voice crept from the back, quieter thanks to distant, but he heard it nonetheless. He turns and saw a small thunderstorm gather around her doll, it crackles and pops with yellow streaks, but seemed no harm. He saw Reimu inch closer to Alice before Marisa forced his head to his Shadow again, pointing at it with such emphasis he didn't know was possible. Then Marisa was gone.

"Is it about the other Gappy?" Alice continued.

Lik Heng was in the middle of accepting his other self as whatever conversation behind him transpires, "What's there to say...other th-than you were right...? You-...you were right. I don't... What...to say...?"

His monologue to himself was riddled with pauses and in-audible whispers that the girls didn't pay mindful attention to. Rise's voice from amidst the thunderstorm in stark comparison was loud and clear. "Well we're here, but...the  _ Palace _ is invisible. And we ran into this cat—"

The shrill scream of a boyish voice cuts in suddenly, causing the clouds to shoot cracks of lightning. "I keep telling you! I'm not a cat!"

"I just wanted to live somewhere I belong- I just wanted to live... I-I just wanted to escape from the real world." He fumbles and twiddles with his fingers, his face burns from embarrassment. "Yeah... I just wanted to escape. Wanted to escape."

Rise isn't trying to suppress her giggles at all, "I'm sorry, Mona-chan, I promise not to bully you anymore." She clears her throat before continuing, "Anyway, he told us everything we needed to know about Palace, completely different from the dungeons that we normally deal with, you see. We can't get in unless we get some keywords—look, just get your butts here ASAP. I like to avoid re-explaining it."

"Alright," Alice nods, "We'll rendezvous shortly, Gappy One is about to awaken his Persona."

"To this day... I still...still have regrets. Regrets about..." Lik Heng sighs, slamming both palms against his cheeks; it leaves a stinging red mark. "I wanted to pay for what I had done. Done to my friends and... to my...my...t-to my... _ ex _ ... If I can even...even call her that," he tightened his fists and grimaced at the very words he spoke. "Especially not after I treated her. N-Not after screwing everything up."

He sighs, reminiscing the fateful day he travelled across the globe. Thinking back, he wasn't really sure why he really went, even if she asked specifically for him to attend her graduation party. Sure screwed all first impressions her family had of him, it gives him a rueful smile thinking about the odd looks when his table manners were insufficient for the occasion. Poking at his food like he didn't know something as simple as cutting meat.

Gods, why was he like that?

Not to mention the time he acted like a bumbling buffoon in the presence of her only best friend that lived in the same continent! If he could bury his head into his hands, roll up and die.

"I always use the excuse of being a third-wheel for how much I sucked at talking to others..." his laugh was pitiful. "Time to wake up, huh? Can't keep running away from reality all the time... Right, me?"

His Shadow Self nods, it's doleful, but there's a small hint of glistening hope; the only beam of light well deep underground. It radiates a beautiful blue light, before being enveloped and transforms in it. The new form explodes with a spectacle, it's blinding for a moment. Lik Heng's mouth became agape.

His Persona was a tall, almost thread-like figure; the face of a fair maiden was wholly covered by an icy veil, no hairs or anything representing it present. The veil prolonged well beyond the head, twisting into a nice cloak by the neck, the ends at the backside split like a sharp tailcoat, sporting patterns mesh of butterfly wings and stained glass. From the torso downwards, the figure was cast in a trunk-thick, yet polished ice.

It doesn't speak, but Lik Heng and even the others heard an echo amongst their thoughts, pronouncing itself as  _ Morgan le Fay _ before it poofs into a card, and drifts into Lik Heng's soul. Alongside came newfound knowledge; how to fight, what skills and stats his Persona had, and something else...some kind of power or ability he has. He couldn't precisely explain  _ what _ it was, but he just  _ knew _ about it.

He was more confused and surprised about the Arcana he seemed to receive; he was still frowning, though he shouldn't have any reason to. There was no mistake; it's the same card from Persona 4 after all. He saw The Devil float into him, and he felt the Devil Arcana giving him some rush of power within. Lik Heng didn't know anything about the Arcanas or what they meant, and out of everyone he could ask, Yu Narukami—leader of the Investigation Team—first came to mind.

No—he shook his head at the thought—he wouldn't have enough points in courage to bring it up.

"In fact, he just awakened to it." Alice said, Lik Heng almost screams when he realized the girls were now directly behind him, Alice stifles a laugh, but a smile doesn't leave, "I apologize for scaring you."

"Alright, I'll send the coordinates through Kazeon. There's something else, aside from the whole keyword shit. We should talk about it after we save our second Outsider." Lik Heng noticed that the thunderstorm lit up whenever Rise spoke, it was cute, but he didn't get to enjoy it much after it clears up and turns to an arrow composed of a lightning bolt. It points at a direction. Then he realized something.

"Second Outsider?" He says out loud by accident.

Reimu nods, her expression doesn't change much, but it seems slightly brighter than before. "I need to catch you up regardless. You see, while we were making ways to you, our Team B's navigator, if you will, discovered that Yukari decided to went ahead and sent another Gappy here. Mind you, it's something she never does, so it's very peculiar of her."

Lik Heng was more wondering what the whole  _ Gappy _ thing was about, Rise seemed to refer to people from the Outside World as such; Outsiders. Why  _ Gappy _ ? Was it the fact that Yukari brings them through a- 

_ Oh _ .

The girls watched his face melt into more than just a frown; disappointment clear as day. "Wh-Wha...? But...but Yukari... But Yukari said that—"

"Yeah, well, Yukari's a  _ bitch _ ." Marisa interrupted with way too much enthusiasm, the words felt so... _ weird _ coming from her, least to Lik Heng's eyes, but here she was; puffing her chest in pride. 

"Yukari... I kept telling her... Those...  _ Americans _ was it? They've really been a bad influence on Marisa..." He heard Alice mutter beneath her mouth, shaking her head unamused, Reimu only nods in response with a big smile.  _ Is she...proud of Marisa...? _

"The old hag knows what to say to get on your good side." Marisa finished, pretending whatever Alice said to be non-existent.

Lik Heng's groan didn't go unnoticed, no matter how hard he hid it. Yukari's 'betrayal' felt worse than the truth his Shadow showed. Should he not be here then? She brought someone else so soon to replace him. No, perhaps she's just got something deeper planned? He trusted her as she did with him. Yes, that's got to be it.

"We best be going," said Alice, mostly to Reimu and Marisa than towards Lik Heng. "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

Reimu and Marisa come to an agreement, and they set towards the skyline following Alice's compass. Lik Heng followed soon after Marisa calls out to him.

Lik Heng hoped for some conversation on the journey after he shyly squeaked his name and nickname when Reimu remembered he hadn't done so yet. After that, the girls paced ahead of him a few meters, back in his thoughts once again, head hung low. The girls hardly made little talk even between themselves, making the trip even more awkward only to Lik Heng. He considered speaking up about anything, but his attempts were lost in a mess of mumbles.

Even after accepting himself, he was still playing interesting conversations in his imagination.

It always goes better in his head.


	4. SAKURA-KOI-UTA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SAKURA-KOI-UTA - Melty Blood Actress Again

“Hey, guys! Over here!”

He wasn’t sure how, but when Lik Heng lifted his head at the new voice shouting, all the sudden Rise and other members of the Investigation Team were standing not so far off into the distance. Even if he took off his glasses, he could clearly see the silhouettes of Yu, Yukiko, Naoto and Teddie standing by Rise.

Just how long had it been since he faced his Shadow Self and left Hakurei Shrine?

On the other hand, he felt kind of disappointed that not all the members of the Investigation Team were present. Naoto had a job, and Yukiko helps her family’s inn, so if they were able to find time to fight Shadows, then surely the rest should be the same, right?

He shook his head; he shouldn’t be thinking like that.

Either way, now that he was here, this would surely mean things were going to start getting exciting now, unlike that long silent walk he just had with the girls.

Continuing on closer, Lik Heng couldn’t help but quint at a strange creature amongst the Persona users. Some weird, black bipedal cat-like creature, that was somehow even smaller than Teddie. A brief rub to the eyes confirmed that this was indeed not something he was just imagining.

_ Persona 5. _

It clicks to him; now, he remembers. The cat—Morgana, if he recalled correctly—was on the box art for Persona 5, and he vaguely remembers the trailers with the cat as well. But now that leaves a new question; was this... _ fine _ ? That conversation with Yukari echoes in his head once more; she only really did mention Persona 4 and not the entirety of the Persona universe so... 

He didn’t see a point in thinking about it too much at the moment, right now, he’s desperate for some action, so much pent up energy that he just wanted to release.

When they were close enough, Rise stretched her arms outwards towards the creature, way over-the-top with her jazz hand gesture. “Let me quickly introduce you four to Morgana! He’s a Persona user like all of us. Mona-chan, that's Reimu-san, Marisa-san and Alice-san,” Lik Heng immediately straightens when her hand waves over at him. “And our honorary Outsider is...?”

He poorly attempts to hide the embarrassment on his face with a hand, “I-I’m uh... Lik Heng Wong. You’re um...f-free to call me Likky...”

Nodding, Rise begins to quietly repeat it to herself a few times, trying to get the pronunciation down, he assumed. Eventually, she stopped and beamed a huge smile before introducing herself and the rest of the Investigation Team. That part, he quickly drowned out since, well; he  _ already _ knew all their names.

Which, now that he thought about it, should he even bring up the fact that he knows quite a lot regarding them and their adventure? Sure he still hasn’t finished the darn game in years so beyond their names and basics of the plot there wasn’t actually a lot to say. Either way, Yukari didn’t bring anything up that could relate to ‘rules’, but he figured he’d just play it safe. Oftentimes in stories, it’s never a good idea to let fictional characters realise that they are fiction, along with the world they live in.

That meant he couldn’t directly ask whereabouts in the “timeline” this is all taking place. But if the TV World was any indication; then well, they were obviously still trying to fix that issue. Maybe.

“You’re leaving after we deal with this Palace, correct, Morgana?” Reimu’s voice brought him back to reality, still in Gensokyo. The sensation was something he’d still have to get used to. He doesn’t want to snap out from his thoughts only to end up back home.

“Considering the situation, I honestly would’ve gone back to my group sooner,” Morgana nods with a frown, “Yet, I can’t exactly abandon Persona users in need. It goes against the Phantom Thief code.”

Ah. So that meant it  _ was _ a bad sign.

“You won’t need to worry about getting me back; I’ve already got a route secured.” The cat adds, and then starts rapping against an invisible wall to the side of him, “Alright, back on task people. Since we can’t tackle this as I do with my group, I’m theorising we can get this thing to open up if we at least know the form this Palace takes.”

“The barrier is definitely part of the Palace. It constantly kept me from reading anything beyond its location. Still, I was hoping it’d be different for you, Alice-san.” Rise said with a frown.

Right, he forgot that Alice had a better perception than normal humans, especially when it came to illusions or something along those lines. Alice calls her Persona onto her arms. “Well, I can see the barrier faintly, but it’s as you say… I’m constantly being pushed back from seeing any further. Even with Xenios, it’s hard to process,” she casts her eyes over to Reimu, “If you give me time, I will decipher it.”

Reimu didn’t hesitate to answer.

“One hour.”

Alice nods and begins to concentrate, her body was slowly engulfed by clouds emitting from her Persona.

“What...happens after one hour?” Lik Heng couldn’t help himself to ask.

She sighs before answering, “Morgana leaves, and I’ll go in alone.”

“Even if you could Fantasy Nature in there, are you really willing to risk yourself just for one Gappy, Reimu?” Marisa steps in front of her, hands behind her head. Under Reimu’s intense glare, she finally relented with a shrug, “Last resort or not, I don’t agree.”

Reimu squats down and hugs her knees, “I’m not leaving someone for dead, no matter what.”

Marisa clicks her tongue, turning her head away and mutters words Lik Heng couldn’t hear under her breath, but he was sure he saw her mouth move. Reimu must’ve because her face warped and twisted into a painful expression he’d never dream of seeing her wear.

You know, originally when Lik Heng dreamt of going to Gensokyo for the sole purpose of being able to be a part of it and see everyone interact with one another, he really didn’t mean it to be like this. While watching Marisa give Reimu flak was...interesting, to say the least, especially in his headcanon they were good, yet bitter rivals, he didn’t want this. This just made the knots around his heart tug painfully.

Marisa gasps and covers her mouth with both hands, rushing to Reimu’s side, “Shit, Reimu, I’m so, so sorry! That...that wasn’t me talkin’ just then! I swear!”

“I know...” Reimu said, on the verge of crying, Marisa eventually pulls her into a comforting hug and pats her back. “If I was... I could’ve...!”

“That makes another case...” He heard Naoto whisper to Yu, scribbling on a small memo pad, “It’s getting progressively worse as we feared, Senpai.”

There was definitely some huge context he was missing here, Lik Heng was certain, even if he wasn’t brightest. Sure, even if he tried to remind himself that they’ll eventually tell him everything that was going on, it still  _ hurt _ .  _ Even in this situation, you’re unwanted, _ he thought to himself, that feeling of uselessness overcoming him once again.  _ Nothing would change if I wasn’t here, why did Yukari bother with a poor sap like me? _

Another voice calls out, while it was his voice, it certainly had a different tone and feel to it. It wasn’t his, yet it was at the same time.

**_Oh, Child, you’ve been blessed with my power, must you forget? You could at most utilise it, don’t you think?_ **

**_Think;_ **

**_Open the gate to the Desolate Sea._ **

A sea of realisation washes away his insecurities, the wind blowing into his face as widen eyes turn into a bright yellow. He felt it; the surging power from deep within his soul, beckoning loudly to be used. Something he should’ve understood the very moment Morgan le Fay and himself became one. He felt like an utter fool for not realising the newfound power that was always a part of him.

It was so simple.

**_Create._ **

He quietly slipped past from what could be wary eyes into the background; a feat easily accomplished for a nobody like himself. He met with the invisible wall that blocked everything out, no matter how hard the Owner tried to push people away, he’ll get in.

**_Imagine._ **

From his makeshift “sheath”, he pulls his wooden sword delicately, and with a quick stab, it pierces, only deep enough for the tip. As he twists the handle and rotates the sword, it glimmers into a white light, the form shifts.

A loud click echoes upon turning the sword entirely at its side, the light explodes, his wooden sword now taking the shape of a Keyblade; the very Kingdom Key that Sora wields in Kingdom Hearts. The key that can open  _ anything _ . Or at least; that’s how he remembers it works.

Cracks spread from the slit he created, it booms loudly like a thunderstorm as it spreads like a plague, it certainly caught the curious eyes of those with him, but he didn’t mind it at all. At this moment; they don’t exist to him.

Eventually, the wall finally collapses within itself, the now visible pieces of the barrier glisten like pieces of glass against the revealing sunset as it falls into the ever stretching blue ocean surrounding them.

Falling stars for the scenery of the Palace.

The cliff the crew was now on wasn’t that large, but there was enough leeway for everyone to be able to stand without hugging tight together. As Lik Heng surveyed the area, he noticed a small wooden pier of sorts that didn’t lead anywhere in particular, except off the cliff that is. It was more like a diving board in that regard. And where the land meets wood, sat a small withered bouquet of flowers.

Lik Heng’s sword returns to its original form as he sheaths it away with elegant, yet unnecessary poise, his eyes finally return to brown and he- his eyes widen at the sudden change of locations, then to the mixed looks of surprise and disbelief from everyone, then at his now trembling hands.

...Did he... _ do _ something?

What did he just do?

“I-I honestly have no idea how or what I just did—” He started with a squeak, curling his hand into a tight ball, still unable to control the shakiness. Was he hypnotised? Under some kind of trance? “I-I just only  _ imagined _ something and...”

“It’s your ability,” Alice answers, suddenly appearing behind him with her Persona in her arms. “Your ability is to manifest imagination; it seems.”

His eyes shake, unable to comprehend it.

“...What?”

“Alright,” Reimu stretches, somehow cheerful again, no longer in Marisa’s arms. “Information dump can come after we rescue Gappy number two. Teddie, Yukiko, you’re with Alice and me. Some residents in the surrounding area we need to escort out.”

With the way she looked at Lik Heng, he understood she was explaining that small tidbit just for him. He smiled, starting to feel butterflies in his stomach.

Finally, Reimu springs into the air with Alice following not a second later, Yukiko had to summon her Persona first, Lik Heng noted. Teddie, on the other hand, stood around for a bit, tapping his feet against the ground exactly three times. On command; a stack of televisions emerge from the ground.

“Here, Sensei! My patented Teddie TV™ as per usual!” The bear grins widely and leaves with the rest after an enthusiastic wave that lasted until he disappeared into the distance completely.

“Well, at least it’s consistent in the fact that this area is merely the hub area,” Morgana said, surveying the area. When he made it to the pier and looked down into the ocean, his ears fell, noticing how long of a fall it was. “In order to get into the Palace, we have to take a leap of faith, huh...?”

“It really is underwater...” Rise confirms, apparently, there were tears in her eyes, she was crouching beside the bouquet of dead flowers.

If there was some kind of implication here, it sadly went all over Lik Heng’s head, not understanding why the rather dull face on them. Even Yu seemed troubled, and that wasn’t a good sign in his eyes.

“It seems we won’t have to worry about water properties or the need to breathe underwater,” Rise said, her Persona seeming to be beside her, it disappeared as fast as Lik Heng noticed it. When did she summon it? “Everyone ready?”

The lack of response seemed to be what she was looking for, because only a few moments later did Personas emerge from the vast majority of them, as one by one they jumped off from the pier. Marisa was the exception, as instead, she rode on her broom, fitting and to be expected, yet Lik Heng still found amusing.

Yet the task of simply jumping off a cliff seemed to prove harder than it actually looks for him. Yu seemed to stay behind with him, whether the Wild Card goes last regularly or because he expected something like this to happen, whatever the reason, Lik Heng wasn’t sure about his intentions.

Although, now that it was just Yu around, Lik Heng felt more at ease, and a bit more comfortable with speaking up. “Erm, you know, I would’ve expected that you would go first,” he started honestly.

He watches Yu cross his arms, frowning. Yet, Lik Heng felt Yu was smug about something. “You surely don’t think I  _ always _ have to take charge?” Ah great, he already messed up first impressions, now Yu probably thinks he’s an idiot- “If they always depend on Reimu and me, who’ll be left to rely on when we fall?”

It was a mistake, he shouldn’t have spoken up in the first place, God, it was stupid of him to even bother. 

He lowered his head in shame, Yu was right, he tried to nail into his mind. It made sense after all; if the protagonist was defeated in-game, it’d be a game over, completely ignoring the fact that someone like Yukiko, who at some point eventually learns a skill that lets her revive others back with full HP.

Balancing issues or not, it always seemed off to him that games—no, even anime and manga—would portray teams like the Investigation Team so reliant on the main hero. But...at the same time, he’s seen it time and time again. The sheep that are mindless and aimless unless a shepherd leads them, and those same Sheep unwilling to step up to become a shepherd if there isn’t any. As if you can only ever be either one or the other.

He raises his head and locks eyes with Yu, thinking not only about his team, but Morgana’s too.

They are nothing but pawns on a chessboard.

...

Huh?

What was he thinking about just then?

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Sorry...”

Yu extends his arm, and Lik Heng looks at his open hand curiously. “Here, that way I’ll drag you down with me if you hesitate. Only if you want to, of course.”

He chuckles weirdly and scratches behind his neck, “...Hearing that kind of stuff coming from you feels weird.” He sighs, looking back and forth from the edge of the pier to Yu’s hand. “Going to feel weird holding hands with another guy...” That he mutters accidentally out loud, but he hoped it was quiet enough that Yu didn’t hear. “So um...! I couldn’t help but notice, you guys can fly with your Persona?”

It was obvious he was trying to delay it, but Yu stayed patient with him, much like Yukari did. Although he couldn’t wonder how much of a limit Yu had. Still, Yu answered, “Since the start of this whole mess... We couldn’t before, and I doubt we can when things return to normal.”

“Suppose so.” Lik Heng sighs, turning his head away before slowly reaching Yu’s arm, opting for the wrist instead of hand-to-hand contact. He felt his face burn up, is this what blushing feels like in fictional worlds? “Don’t tell anyone about this.”

He felt Yu inching towards the pier. “Alright then, I’m jumping on three. One-”

Lik Heng shoots his head back towards Yu, growing more fearful as the edge got closer, “Wait!  _ On _ three-”

“Two-”

“Or  _ after _ three?!”

“THREE!”

He forced his eyes shut as Yu jumped and he had no choice but to follow suit.

...

When Lik Heng opened one eye slowly, the past few minutes seemingly erased from his memory, he was met with a new area. The  _ actual _ Palace; Bottom of the Sea—what Rise had dubbed at least.

_ This place is...beautiful. _

Yeah, it was worth it, if it meant seeing this.

It was as colourful as Gensokyo was depicted, yet increased by tenfold; the considerable and large amount of sea critters and plants brightened up and brought life to this place. The simmering sun rays only highlighted the peacefulness. If it featured a sunken city, this place would no doubt be a proper interpretation for Atlantis for him. 

But the more he stared into the sea, the more he couldn’t help but felt off-put by... _ something.  _ Perhaps it was the squares of discolouration that blinked in-and-out of existence every now and then, some distorting the area instead; a glitchy mess.

“I know things are different here, but... I never knew a Palace could be unstable.” Morgana mumbled.

“Looks like everyone is accounted for,” Rise started, looking off into a random direction, “... Traversing here might be an issue, Senpai,” she does it again, but off in a different direction. “The layout’s constantly changing, but on the plus side, the locations of the Residents and Outsider don’t, so we can still use them as a reference point.”

With an understanding nod, Yu paces upfront, Lik Heng was expecting him to gesture everyone to follow. However, instead, he looked at Rise, who was still looking around. “Something wrong, Rise-san?”

“We’re being watched by something,” Morgana explains instead, “But this place doesn’t have security in the first place. Interesting...”

Rise nods, “It’s especially troublesome because it’s neither a Shadow nor Cognition from what I can read. But it’s not hostile...”

“No point in dwelling about it then, we’ll deal with it if it decides to confront us,” Marisa chimes in, “Hey Yu-chan, since this place is empty and a mess, we should take the Residents along with us, so we can get out of here with them and the Gappy at the same time.”

A thumbs up from Yu and no further objections meant they were finally on the move.

So no grinding, then. Another disappointment for Lik Heng, but maybe it was for the best. Usually, Persona users were exhausted after awakening to their Persona. While he wasn’t exhausted yet, he didn’t want to potentially become a detriment to the team.

...The walk was silent again, yet the members were talking amongst each other, Lik Heng, as much as he wished to engage with them, went back to having everything around him feel numb. When did the air around him become so... _ empty _ feeling? And honestly, now he thought about it… If it wasn’t for Yu being slightly weird earlier; he’d be more distracted with that odd sensation that pulled him off the pier, despite hesitating, there was still that small part of him that ordered him to jump.

He didn’t like anything about this at all.

It was so... _ depressing _ .

...

When he blinks a few times, he’s suddenly in someone’s bedroom he doesn’t know, a ‘Safe Room’ he remembered Morgana explaining, although his voice was distant at that time. 

Just beside a large white desk with a computer rig, was a large black queen-sized bed, and on top of it laid Rumia, wrapped in blankets and reading pieces of paper spread messily about on the bed. He didn’t care much about the conversation she was having with Marisa, there was something more important.

The painting that leaned against the large window in the back.

He was no artist, but even he felt the colours on it were chosen and placed at random. Yet, in a way, the chaotic nature that surrounded the blue-skinned person whose face was partially hidden by flowers…it was all oddly familiar. It’s been tugging at his shirt since the Palace was revealed, he didn’t think much of it since now.

He’s seen this before, he thinks.

He knows that signature from somewhere, he thinks.

“Lik Heng-san, it’s time to move.”

He jolts at the voice, but when he turns he wasn’t surprised to see Yu, and the rest already was gone, outside the Safe Room door probably.

“...Do you know the Second Outsider, Lik Heng-san?” Yu asks, placing himself on the bed, shifting through the papers Rumia was looking at.

Was Yu always this good at reading people, or was he that obvious? No point in hiding it then...

“I...can’t help shake off this feeling that I did.” 

Yu points to the few photos displayed at the top shelf of the white desk; more importantly, towards the two that show the same couple. There was also an old primary school photo—of the male from the couple picture, he assumed—but it wouldn’t help in jogging old memories.

Lik Heng certainly never seen the male before in his life, but the girl—

“No way,” Lik Heng suddenly gasps, he leaps onto the bed and scrambles through the papers, even snatches the one in Yu’s hand. They were all labelled with the same name. “You’re  _ kidding  _ me.”

If that woman was really who he thought it was then—

“Lik Heng-san?” Yu said worryingly.

Out of  _ all _ the people in the world, Yukari really brought  _ him _ ?

_ Why? _

“That... She... Is she  _ toying _ with me?!”

He crumbles one of the papers in his hands and felt Yu place a reluctant hand on his shoulder, and while Yu didn’t utter a single word Like Heng knew this was all in order to get him to calm down, in order to answer his question from earlier.

...

“I’m... I need to confirm if she actually brought him, with my own two eyes, then I’ll tell you. I’m not saying anything. If Yukari really brought him...”

He was repeating the same two things differently for a bit before he went back inside the bubble, where everything outside was numb and a blur.

In one moment he was at a graveyard garden of sorts, tombstones all unmarked. They met Rin and Komachi here, who both were after the same thing as part of their so-called jobs. He heard names of other Touhou characters being mentioned; Kokoro, Clownpiece, and Yuyuko, according to the duo they were here at some point and gone the next.

In the next moment, they were by the ‘boss door’, a simple curtain of kelp and seaweed. They met Flandre to his surprise. Apparently, as Flandre explained, Scarlet Devil Mansion was raided by the Shadows, Remilia hasn’t drunk blood in a while, and that before she could help, the whole place collapsed on top of her.

He didn’t care about any of it, but the moment Rise asked for Yu’s opinion on the fact there wasn’t any presence aside from the Outside behind the door, he stepped out from his bubble.

“I’m going in with just Lik Heng-san. It’s...likely someone he knows,” was the first thing he heard upon coming back to reality proper. This was it. He followed behind Yu slowly, whacking irritating weeds away from his path and view.

“Wait,  _ what _ ?!” Marisa exclaimed from the back.

“Hang on, I’m coming with!” Morgana shouted the cat was fast on catching up, “There’s something I need to confirm for myself,” he explains, only to Yu.

When they reached the other side, Lik Heng’s eyes widened at who was in the centre of the aquarium-like area.

A young girl, dressed simply in a nightgown, red legging and a grey poncho, sitting on the floor, gazing at the swimming fish above.

So it wasn’t...

It was her all along?

His lips tremble, desperate in trying to get the girl out from his sight, “M-... Ma-...” He couldn’t believe it. “ _ Bear _ ? Is...is it really  _ you _ ?”

He recognised that ‘lion’s mane’ that she loved to call it anywhere. The one that his other-self referred to as a ‘Witch’.

‘Bear’ sighs, before turning her head towards them, her brown eyes look at them in a specific order, he felt- no, he  _ knew _ she certainly doesn’t want to see his face ever again, much as he did.

“Well,  _ fuck _ me.” ‘Bear’ murmurs, “So that’s what this is all about huh,” she rises up and places her hands on her hips, “Can’t believe I actually got my ass isekai’d.” 

She finally looked at Lik Heng, and he flinched, her eyes were as lifeless as he remembered. Suddenly it all made sense now, for the most part.

“Listen, I ditched that name ages ago.” 

Lik Heng blinked at that, “...Eh?”

“I go by Faiz now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter originally gave me so much trouble, ending up having to cut a lot of bulk of the story; most notably the scenes with the Touhou character in the Palace, it's mostly fluff and tiny foreshadowing, but I think this chapter can go without it.


End file.
